HARRISBURG-
November is being observed as Epilepsy Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.Our
speaker is Senator Sean Wiley of Erie County, sponsor of the Senate-adopted
resolution observing November as Epilepsy Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS,
Epilepsy affects more than 200,000 Pennsylvanians; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy is one
of the world's oldest known medical conditions; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy is not a
widely understood medical condition; diagnoses of this chronic brain condition
often leads to fear, discrimination and isolation; and WHEREAS, As the third
most common neurological disorder in the United States, following stroke and
Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy affects 5 million Americans of all ages; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year,
most often in young children or senior citizens; and WHEREAS, One in ten
Americans will experience a seizure at some point in their lives and 3% of them
will eventually develop epilepsy; and WHEREAS, One in three people with
epilepsy must endure uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment
works for them; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy is characterized by recurring seizures
that are physical reactions to sudden, brief, excessive electrical discharges
in brain cells; and WHEREAS, These excessive electrical discharges impact the
brain, causing seizure disorders; and WHEREAS, Seizures, often thought to be
full-body convulsions, can be brief muscle spasms or unconscious behaviors that
appear to be attention lapses; and WHEREAS, Increased awareness of epilepsy
eases fears of the condition and improves the lives of the millions of affected
persons and those who care for them; and WHEREAS, Encouraging the support of
epilepsy research programs can make the future of persons with epilepsy much
better and brighter; therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the
month of November 2013 as "Epilepsy Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.